Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Thanks, Mute Witness ...

... for offering your very personal and professional observations from your state and from your shelter worker experience on these subjects ... it is invaluable to hear from people like you who are out of our state but who show that these issues are collective and similar for us in this entire nation. I wish your area much luck with your newfound horse leading your progressive cart. I only wish my community was halfway where you are, but I am still hopeful we'll find a horse for our cart very soon! To me, no kill is inevaitable and will be reached by all ... it is just a matter of time until all states and individual communities join this march and the paradigm shift in philosophy and practice being proven in more communities. As it is, there was a time not that long ago that we--as a country--were killing upwards of 12 million homeless companion animals a year. We keep getting better, and all we need to do is work hard and think and act outside of our collective myths and boxes to make it the rest of the way.

Take care,
Michel

2 comments:

mute witness said...

Aw, shucks...

There is definitely hope, though!
Lookit!
http://www.humanealliance.org/HA2/nsnrtmap.htm

Take a trip around their website and see their stats...the opening of their training center...the details about how an organization can get things moving in their area, which is what my state is doing.

It's so exciting...I get stars in my eyes just looking at it all.

This is another thing I think a lot about regarding this field and what its goals are...the organizational aspects. It seems like so much counterproductive wheel-spinning for an organization to dabble in several areas. What if there was ONE PLACE (i.e. one of the NSNRT clinics) in an area to handle that, one agency that focused on humane ed. (a very key aspect for the future, IMO), a couple shelters-only focused on adoptions/intakes/retention counseling, etc, one subsidized veterinary clinic of some sort for sick care of pets belonging to low income folks, one entity handling cruelty investigation and prosecution....on and on. You know what I mean?

Even on a personal level, the amount of gear shifting I have to do on a daily basis at work...it feels less efficient. The thought of going to work surgeries at the NSNRT clinic next year is tempting...to put focused, nose-to-grindstone effort into just one facet of the Cause seems like it might be very satisfying...

Any thoughts on this? The fact that a lot of organizations seem to have too many irons in the fire?

Best,
r

Anonymous said...

Good, Michel:
This is part of what the Humane Society of Southern New Mexico should be doing along with advocating for Spay & Neuter legislation in Las Cruces & Dona Ana County.
Those two ventures should be HSSNM's prime functions!
Animal Lover